


Ensnared

by Shujinkakusama, SmugLemon



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Based on a Tumblr Post, F/F, Fluff, Jasper Redemption (Steven Universe), Kissing, Love Confessions, Post-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-02
Updated: 2017-10-02
Packaged: 2019-01-08 08:44:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12250944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shujinkakusama/pseuds/Shujinkakusama, https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmugLemon/pseuds/SmugLemon
Summary: Continuation of Jasker's comic, linked in the notes! Jasper catches Pearl dreaming about her, and Pearl catches Jasper watching.





	Ensnared

**Author's Note:**

> http://jasker.tumblr.com/post/165538832466
> 
> Jasker is the sweetest egg and let me and SmugLemon write a continuation of this comic!

Pearl didn’t dream often, and even less frequently did she wake up to the subject of her subconscious’ yearnings anywhere near her—much less looming over her at close quarters, white hair framing a face Pearl had never seen blush quite so vividly, leaning precariously close in such a way that she might fall—

Stars! Scrambling away had been entirely instinct, and Pearl almost tangled so badly in the borrowed blanket that it was nothing but  _ luck _ that she wasn’t in a heap on the floor. She couldn’t look at Jasper. She couldn’t remember what excuse she’d spit out, either, only that she was acutely aware that it couldn’t be a very good one. Still, Jasper hadn’t exactly called her bluff.

The blanket still smelled like her. Pearl hurried about folding it, knowing that adding it to the laundry would mean it would lose that little bit of Jasper left behind, but also knowing perfectly well that she’d indulged too much.

“You shouldn’t sneak like that,” Pearl said, but her voice wasn’t very sharp in her scolding, “I might’ve attacked you.”

Jasper could still feel her face burning, even now that she had put some space between herself and Pearl. She'd even turned away in hopes of hiding it, but she couldn't be sure it worked.

Had she really just seen what she knew she saw?

The little peek of Pearl's dream she had seen played again in her mind. Her body over Pearl's slim form, their limbs tangled together, Pearl...

She had to stop thinking about it if she wanted her blushing to subside. And she definitely did. Pearl was still  _ saying _ something.

Despite the lag, her brain caught up with her and she glanced over her shoulder with a short laugh.

"Really? Pearl, you're a great warrior, but I think I could handle you just fine."

She had to very quickly shake away thoughts of other ways she could handle Pearl.

"Besides, I wasn't sneaking."

Oh,  _ that _ didn’t help at all. ‘Handling’—Pearl felt her cheeks darken, remembering her altogether inappropriate dream with, perhaps, less guilt than she ought to have felt. Yes, she thought being  _ handled _ by Jasper in some capacity would be something she would enjoy. She’d even encourage it, if she thought for even a moment...

But that was foolish. Whatever inappropriate feelings she had for the quartz did not, at all, guarantee reciprocity.

It was rude to objectify her like that.

“Not sneaking?” Pearl didn’t believe that, and she peered back at Jasper with more brevity than she thought she had in her, especially disoriented and tired and  _ flustered _ . “Climbing on the couch unannounced is  _ not sneaking _ ?”

She wanted to point out that the only reason she'd gotten so close was because Pearl had let out a sound suspiciously close to a moan followed by her name. Not that Jasper minded that sound. And she wouldn't mind hearing it again...

She swallowed. This had to stop. She couldn't have those thoughts about Pearl, not after they'd become such good friends and she'd come to understand the struggles Pearl had faced in her life. Pearls as a class weren't objects for other Gems to fantasize about, and Jasper definitely wouldn't reduce her friend down to that. She liked Pearl too much.

But lying to her? That would be okay in this instance. She turned back to face her.

"I- I came in to get my blanket."

True.

"And then I walked over... to use it."

Half true.

"I, uh, didn't notice you were using it and then you woke up."

Not true. Not even a little. She hadn't thought this one through.

"But you can't blame me for not noticing!" She tried. "I've never seen you sleep before."

Pearl  _ could _ argue against that. There were holes she could poke in the fact that Jasper had definitely not been walking when she woke up to her leaning over her—but that argument was one that she wasn’t prepared to follow through. She swallowed hard, dropping her gaze down to the blanket in her arms.

The blanket  _ was _ technically Jasper’s, at least in practice. It was the biggest blanket they owned, and Steven had been happy to share it.

She wasn’t wrong about how rarely Pearl slept, though. “I don’t sleep much,” she said cagily, feeling her cheeks color. “I, ah… I meant to lie down, just for a moment. And then I woke up to you here.”

"Sorry," she said, scratching the back of her neck. "Guess that was sort of a rude awakening."

Jasper valued sleep. At first she had thought it completely ridiculous, but it turned out to be a relaxing way to spend an afternoon. Cozily curled up in a bundle of fluff and dozing off became fairly normal to her during her time on Earth. So she did feel a little guilty for interrupting Pearl's peace. And her... interesting dream. That she definitely wasn't thinking about.

She motioned toward the blanket.

"It's comfy, isn't it? Kind of just knocks you out on its own."

“Don’t sell me on it; you won’t get it back.”

Pearl knew perfectly well she would give it back, knew Jasper could ask almost anything of her and she would deliver—she liked her, knew that she liked her very well, and Pearl liked making people and Gems happy. Some of that might have been design, but it wasn’t something she was ashamed of.

“It was better than Amethyst; she’s jumped on me several times. It’s a wonder I haven’t cracked her Gem, really,” Pearl said, trying to draw in a breath to get her wits about her. But all she could do was think of Jasper’s scent, that it still lingered on the blankets, that they were so  _ close… _

“It smells like you.” 

 

Pearl regretted saying it immediately, and she gripped the folded blanket so tightly that she knew her knuckles went white.

Jasper smiled, partially at Pearl's description of her sister quartz doing exactly what she would expect of her, but mostly at Pearl's comment.

"That's a good thing? I hope."

She could see Pearl holding it tightly. She guessed she didn't want to let it go.

"We could share it," she suggested. "I don't mind. If you like it that much."

There was absolutely no hiding the brilliant flush that flooded her cheeks, and Pearl’s breath hitched. Nothing about that suggestion was unusual. Nothing about it was  _ weird. _ Pearl shared the couch with everyone else that frequented the house. She didn’t  _ need _ to share a blanket with Steven or Amethyst in the winter, but she sometimes did.

The difference was her  _ interest _ in Jasper.

“If you like,” Pearl said with some uncertainty, “I don’t—ah—that is, I don’t want you to feel… obligated. Not if you don’t want to.”

Jasper blinked.

Pearl was blushing. Stuttering, even. Had she thought she meant share it at the same time? She'd only been suggesting that they divide the resource evenly, taking determined allotted times with the object to be fair. But Pearl clearly wanted to use it together.

All too suddenly, what she'd seen of Pearl's dream rushed back. Why had she been dreaming that way? Jasper's dreams mostly consisted of nonsense-- her fighting gigantic pieces of soggy bread and piloting palm trees like they were military grade ships. But Pearl's... she  _ knew _ she shouldn't have looked, but it was impossible to ignore now. Was it really something Pearl wanted? If they shared this blanket like Pearl was now anticipating, was there a chance it could come true?

Suddenly Jasper's palms were inexplicably sweaty. She felt like she was radiating heat.

"Why wouldn't I want to?" She asked.

Surely Jasper knew. She was too shrewd not to, and Pearl was too transparent. For that matter, with her luck, Pearl realized too late that it was possible that she’d been projecting her—her  _ wildly _ inappropriate fantasies all over the living room in her sleep! And stars, if that were the case, she thought she might like to retreat to her Gem and never reform.

“I…”

Pearl trailed off uncertainly. Why  _ wouldn’t _ Jasper want to? She tumbled with Amethyst and endured Steven’s clinging. Not being particularly affectionate with Garnet wasn’t an indication that Jasper was adverse to contact.

Besides, Jasper knew what pearls were for, back on Homeworld. She had to. Even  _ Peridot _ had a vague idea.

“It’s different from Amethyst or Steven, isn’t it?” Pearl managed, a vain attempt to deflect that she already knew she would have to explain further. “We never do… that sort of thing.”

"Well, no. We don't."

Pearl was right; it was different with her. Jasper wasn't incredibly attracted to any of the other Crystal Gems the way she was with Pearl. It hadn't been immediate, but it had been ever-increasing. Everything from the way Pearl could land a triple backflip and still accurately aim a shot from her spear at a target yards away to the way she hummed while she cleaned crumbs off the counter made Jasper feel this overwhelming fullness in her chest. She felt happy to see Pearl walk into view, she thought of her when they were apart, she practically gushed about her many skills to anyone who would listen.

There were late night conversations between just the two of them that went on for hours where they spoke of everything and nothing in particular, and once or twice Jasper had thought about confessing these feelings she had...

But it always came back to Pearl's status as, well, a pearl. What if she thought she was just some brute looking to use her? Jasper would never forgive herself for coming off that way.

Of course, she hadn't been the one projecting those sounds and images just now.

"Not yet we haven't. Is there any... particular reason for that?"

“You’ve never asked.” Pearl said it, but she knew that wasn’t a proper answer, and she also knew that Jasper deserved more than a shoddy excuse like that. She couldn’t bring herself to look up at the big quartz soldier, though, and curled her toes uncomfortably where she stood.

It wasn’t just that Jasper hadn’t asked. She didn’t really expect her to. For one thing, quartzes weren’t that way to begin with—why ask when she could take what was offered freely?—but for another thing, Jasper wasn’t totally clueless about their places back on Homeworld. Pearl knew perfectly well that her behavior with the other Crystal Gems was wildly inappropriate; she did it deliberately, even if Amethyst had barely met other quartzes, and Garnet didn’t care about caste or order.

“I wasn’t sure what you’d think,” Pearl’s voice was tight, “I didn’t want—it’s not how it’s done on Homeworld, I’m sure. A pearl being… forward. I didn’t know if you would think it meant something… significant. Or inappropriate.”

 

Jasper could feel the tips of her ears burning and she shifted in place.

 

"Well, we aren't on Homeworld anymore. The stars only know how many times I had to hear that from Garnet." The half-hearted joke did a little to lighten the tense mood that had grown.

 

"Here, we don't have to fit the roles we were given there. I've had to get used to a lot of different things here. Humans. Garnet. The toaster."

 

She still regretted breaking it weeks ago.

 

"Hell, even sleeping is new to me! And speaking of sleeping..."

 

Jasper couldn't look Pearl in the eye, choosing instead to glance shyly towards the couch instead.

 

"I saw something while you were sleeping. A dream. At least, I hope it was a dream and not a nightmare."

 

Oh stars, oh  _ stars _ , she had seen! Pearl’s face burned, and her heart stuttered against her ribs, and she sort of regretted including the organ in her construct, because the thundering in her ears made it hard to hear or think.

And what was that about—

“A nightmare?” Pearl finally managed to turn her gaze toward Jasper’s face, blue eyes impossibly wide. “Why would—I—you mustn’t’ve seen  _ much _ …” her voice caught, and she swallowed hard. “Not if you thought… Jasper, it definitely wasn’t a nightmare! I…” she ducked her head, cheeks and ears burning blue. “I’m sorry! I realize dreams aren’t… something you can have conscious control over, but I… it wasn’t appropriate of me. Thinking of you like that. I-I’m sorry.”

 

Jasper's eyes grew wide and she stumbled toward Pearl somewhat, hands apologetically held up.

 

"No, no, no, no! You don't have to apologize for that! Er. I should be apologizing for leaning over you and watching! I knew it was wrong, but I heard my name and I couldn't let it go. I still can't let it go because..."

 

Because it had  _ definitely _ looked like something Jasper could get behind. Or over. Or under. She wasn't too particular at the moment.

 

"Do you think of me like that?"

 

Pearl knew perfectly well that her kind couldn’t handle direct questions well, particularly under duress, and she doubted that Jasper was aware that her wording would produce an answer whether Pearl wanted to give one or not. She nodded around the lump in her throat, peering up between her loose bangs. 

 

“For a while now,” she murmured, “I… I have for a while. Stars, Jasper, I… know it’s out of line, I didn’t mean for it to get that  _ far _ , but I… I do.”

 

A smile split across Jasper's face and she brightened.

 

"I have too. About you," she admitted somewhat breathlessly.

 

"I've felt that way. Not just  _ that _ way," she clarified, making some sort of vague gesture with her hands. She immediately regretted that. But her regret was quickly and overwhelmingly shadowed by the relief she felt at Pearl's confession.

 

"Of course, I've had  _ those _ thoughts too. Believe me, you can be as forward as you want with me. But-- that's not the point-- augh! Why is it so hard to explain how I feel to you?!" Jasper brought a hand up to her messy silver bangs and curled her fingers into them with frustration.

 

"That's not all I want! Some quartzes might be like that, but not me. And even if you never wanted that with me, it would be fine. Because I like just being with you. I like talking with you, and sparring with you, and listening to you sing. All of that stuff. I like you."

 

Pearl’s mouth was agape for several long seconds before she realized she was staring, and then, slowly, a smile broke out across her flushed cheeks.

 

None of the things Jasper specified had anything to do with her being a pearl.

 

Jasper wasn’t interested in her utility as a pearl, as a pretty bauble to show off, as a compliant companion and lover. She was interested in… matters, but that was secondary to interest in  _ Pearl _ . Jasper admired her for the things she couldn’t have been back on Homeworld, things that had everything to do with Pearl’s life and growth on Earth.

 

She didn’t know what to say to all that. Some part of her felt like, perhaps, crying was appropriate, but the bubbling feeling of joy in her chest was bigger. One hand untangled itself from the blanket still clutched against her chest, and instead, she reached out, gathering Jasper’s free hand in hers. She drew her knuckles up to brush her lips over the back of Jasper’s hand.

 

“You’d want to be with me?”

 

Jasper's grin matched Pearl's, her heart swelling in that familiar way it did whenever she found herself admiring Pearl. Only this time, she didn't have to wonder how Pearl felt about her. 

 

At the touch of Pearl's lips against her hand, she felt a warm shiver travel down her spine and she couldn't imagine being happier.

 

"Yes. If you want me."

 

There was no  _ if _ about that, Pearl thought, tugging Jasper toward the couch. It was only a few paces away, and Pearl sat back down, carefully arranging herself so as not to give away any… unseemly proof of her earlier dream. Her heart still hammered against her ribs, desperate and wild, and she looked up at Jasper with a fond smile that felt too big for her face. “You  _ did _ certainly catch me at wanting you,” she half-teased, “But I… I mean, obviously, I’d want to… eventually. To do those things. But just like you said, Jasper, I--ah--I like just being with you. I’ve liked you all along.”

 

Jasper followed, easily falling to her knees on the couch, placing them on either side of the slim Gem and happily pinning Pearl there. She could feel the warmth radiating from her, felt surrounded by the scent of her-- soft, and clean, and sweet. Her lips were just inches from Pearl's, and when their eyes met she couldn't help but smile even wider.

 

"Well, it did take me a little time to warm up to you," she confessed. Although it wasn't a surprise; Jasper was cold to everyone initially. "But it all just feels like wasted time now. Time I could have used to get to know you even better."

 

She brushed a hand over Pearl's shoulder.

 

"This doesn't mean you're going to start going soft on me, are you?" She teased. "When I win our next fight in the arena, I don't want it to be because you were letting me."

 

Pearl hadn’t expected that--and in the same thought, being cornered by the big quartz was everything she ever could have wanted, and exactly what she should have expected  _ from _ a quartz soldier. Still, at such close quarters, Pearl was hyper aware of Jasper’s great size, of the realization that Jasper could probably crush her skull between her large breasts, and that it would be  _ completely _ worth it.

 

Oh stars, she had it bad.

 

She barely managed to meet Jasper’s eyes, face flushed. Yes, they could have started knowing one another better much sooner, in theory. At least physically. Pearl felt her voice catch in her throat, and Jasper kept talking, but it was hard to listen with Jasper’s hand curled around her shoulder.

 

“Fat chance,” she managed. Teasing came easily. She could grin lopsidedly, could reach up and push at Jasper’s opposite shoulder playfully, knowing the orange Gem wouldn’t budge. “In case you’ve lost count, I have more wins than you do. And how I feel is hardly new.”

 

"Ohoho, is that so?" Jasper asked, her ample chest shaking as she laughed. "Guess I've just got to step it up, then."

 

Jasper couldn't help letting her eyes wander lower, travelling over the slight swell of Pearl's chest, her flat stomach, her pressed-together thighs.

 

"I think I'll be in trouble of getting distracted though. Now that I know what's been on your mind."

 

She lifted her gaze again.

 

"Can you guess what's on my mind right now?"

 

Pearl’s gaze had fallen to the low cut of Jasper’s uniform, to the impressive cleavage that had no reason to stay confined in something cut so dangerously low. Her breath caught, and something in her brain fizzled, some thought to do with propriety and awareness of where she was and the earlier topic of boundaries and respect.

 

She didn’t think--really, right this second, Pearl wasn’t so sure she was capable of coherent thought. Jasper was asking something, and ogling her breasts was rude, even if they were  _ right _ there. 

 

Pearl peered up at her, pupils blown, feeling small and pinned, but wanting more than that, and she knew she should have felt a  _ little _ ashamed for being desperate and wanton, but it was hard.

 

“You’re beautiful,” Pearl blurted out, feeling her cheeks blazing with color. “I… I got distracted.”

 

"Well, nothing wrong with that. We aren't on the battlefield right now. It's just us."

 

Her voice was low and even a little raspier than usual, the adorable color in Pearl's cheeks heating her chest from the inside out. At this distance, she could see the details of Pearl's Gem. The light sparkle embedded in its smooth surface complimented her wide blue eyes and Jasper couldn't believe a Gem this gorgeous was calling  _ her _ beautiful.

 

Jasper glanced at Pearl's lips.

 

"If there's anything you want to do... I won't be opposed."

 

True, it was easier to stay focused in battle. It was impossible not to. But this was a battle of wills at best, and Pearl didn't want to win so much as she wanted Jasper to command every one of her senses until she couldn't think at all.

 

"Me too," Pearl squeaked, "I--anything is fine, Jasper. You're... I trust your judgment." What she didn't trust was her own.

 

Jasper took this as her cue--if Pearl wanted her to take charge, she was all too happy to do so.

 

She had been the one on top in the dream, after all.

 

Jasper cupped Pearl's cheek in her hand and brought her lips crashing against the other Gem’s. All at once she was even more overwhelmed by the scent of her, and now the taste of her. It was dizzying in a way that nothing else was. Made her heart pound and... When had that ever happened? When had this thundering in her chest started? She couldn't recall, but she didn't want it to stop.

 

The feeling of Jasper’s mouth on hers, rough and demanding, was better than Pearl’s fantasies by far—and there hadn’t been anything remotely disappointing about those. But Jasper’s strength was almost palpable like this, in a completely different way than when they sparred.

 

She felt a little less guilty about those fantasies, now, too.

 

Pearl tugged her closer, wound wiry arms around Jasper’s neck to pull her in, and she returned the kiss eagerly. Kissing didn’t require  _ thinking _ ; it was hard to articulate wants, especially when she was flustered, but she could angle her face just a little and probe between Jasper’s lips with her tongue.

 

Jasper moaned out loud, a deep throaty sound, and she opened her mouth to let Pearl explore. 

 

She didn't have much experience with this, but it seemed to come naturally. Whatever she was doing, Pearl was definitely responding well. She felt the Gem beneath her pull her in closer, loved the feeling of Pearl's arms around her. She tangled her fingers into Pearl's hair, brushing her nails against her scalp.

 

Brevity was something pearls weren’t strictly  _ meant _ for, but in the same way that she’d learned to summon her spear, Pearl had learned to be forward. She could—and did—take great pleasure in slowly exploring the contours of Jasper’s mouth with her tongue, in pausing to nibble at her bottom lip, in pressing flush against the quartz’s chest. When she did part for air, it was with a gasp, and Pearl knew she’d be seeing stars longer than she wanted to pause between kisses. 

 

“Ooh…” Pearl sighed breezily, eyes fluttering shut. “Stars, Jasper, I… wow.”

 

Jasper, cheeks reddened and pupils blown, blinked at Pearl before letting out a warm, shuddery breath. If this is what a little kissing felt like, she couldn't begin to imagine what else they could accomplish. She tingled pleasantly all over, felt full and warm and almost as if she'd awoken from the best sleep of her life. 

 

"I picked the best day to come in for a nap," she said.

 

“You slept all last night!” Pearl giggled, pressing her face to Jasper’s neck affectionately, and despite herself, the giggles didn’t quite seem to wind down. She hugged her closer, tried to get control of herself, and was at least somewhat successful once she put her mind to pressing kisses along the edge of Jasper’s jaw instead. “Were you really going to sleep  _ more _ ?”

 

"Why not?" 

 

Jasper bit her lip at the sensation of Pearl's soft mouth against her skin. Stars, even Pearl's giggles gave her brain an overload of adorable. How she went from hardened soldier to fawning lover-Gem she had no idea nor no desire to dwell on.

 

"You're not the only one who has very pleasing fantasies when she sleeps you know," she replied.

 

Pearl supposed that quartzes used more energy day-to-day than her kind did, which might’ve explained the urge to sleep often—she didn’t experience it so much; her exhaustion was almost always emotional, not physical, and sleeping didn’t often wash that away. 

 

“Mm, normally, they’re nightmares,” Pearl admitted ruefully. “I haven’t slept alone since… well, before Steven was born. I think your blanket might be why I could sleep easily.”

 

"We could try sleeping together right now," Jasper said. And of course, to her, that was among the most innocuous of statements she'd ever uttered. Back Home, that was virtually meaningless and not the least bit sexual. No, there were plenty of other euphemisms for that.

 

But truly, the thought of curling up under the blanket with Pearl was three times as appealing as doing it alone. Maybe Pearl would even curl up on her chest and keep giving her those little kisses every so often as she drifted off to sleep.

 

Knowing what Jasper meant in theory--knowing she had picked up the concept of sleeping on Earth, and therefore had no reason to know the euphemism--didn’t stop Pearl’s mind from running wild with possibilities. Heat bloomed in her cheeks, and she squirmed just a little where she sat, still trapped between Jasper’s thighs.

 

Sleeping together… it sounded wonderful. Pearl wasn’t sure she could fall asleep again so soon. But she was born and bred for staying still for long periods; surely she could sink into Jasper’s arms for a while.

 

“Wake me if I start… projecting anything upsetting?” she asked hopefully, eyes downcast. “I, ah… Garnet sometimes had to. Things from the war and such. I don’t want you to have to see any of that.”

 

"And I wouldn't want you to have to keep going through it, either," Jasper said, petting Pearl's hair again, albeit less roughly this time. She understood the pain that could come with those memories. With that, she removed herself from the couch briefly to fetch the blanket.

 

"I'm lucky, I guess. I don't dream about that. At least, I haven't yet. Most of mine don't make any sense."

 

Just last night she had witnessed a tree-climbing contest between herself, Steven, and an amethyst she knew back Home that she hadn't spoken to in 2000 years. Steven had been victorious. There was celebratory boxes of cake mix involved that left her drooling when she finally awoke.

 

"If it helps, you can put your head on my shoulder when we sleep." She pointed to the spot where she thought Pearl's head would fit perfectly. 

 

"Then you won't have to worry about someone walking in and seeing something they shouldn't."

 

She paused. Her eyes narrowed on Pearl and she smirked.

 

"Unless of course that's how you pick up Gems you have a thing for?"

 

Pearl felt color rise once again to her cheeks, but she smiled. “Well, Garnet would have known I was doing it,” she teased, stretching out on the couch and knowing perfectly well that Jasper would either have to move her herself or find a way to fit on the couch without falling off the edge. “But if I’d known it would work, I would have tried it on you sooner.”

 

"We have plenty of time in the future to try whatever it is you want," she said, somewhat suggestively, smiling down at Pearl. Seeing what she'd so coyly done, Jasper put her hands on her hips

 

"You planning on sharing or not?" She asked. She didn't wait for an answer.

 

With the blanket now slung over one arm, she lifted Pearl and slung her over the other.

 

Pearl couldn't help the delighted sound that came from her throat at being lifted. With Garnet as the exception, even in dance, Pearl tried to lead--and it was a delight to be lifted so easily by her partner. 

 

She didn't need prompting to curl close and rest her head in the sweep of Jasper's neck and shoulder. It was easy to cuddle close to Jasper, especially with a muscular arm supporting her. 

 

"You say that, but you don't know that I won't propose something strange," Pearl teased, reaching to brush her fingers along Jasper's cheek and jaw.

 

Jasper eased herself onto the couch and tried to juggle holding Pearl and tossing the blanket over them both. She didn't entirely succeed. Lying down and getting Pearl to her chest was easy; the blanket, however landed on their feet, half crumpled. She sighed, looking up at the wooden ceiling of Steven's house, so different from the crystalline structured places she was used to back Home or the metallic walls of ships. She would take this over anything else she'd ever known, though. 

 

"The more time I spend on Earth, the more I'm beginning to like strange."

 

"I would hope so, if you like a defective pearl like me," Pearl teased, arranging herself as close to Jasper as she could manage, one arm folded between them while the other was daringly draped over her chest. She played idly with a lock of Jasper's hair, a good way to hide some of her nerves.

 

Not the the pounding of her heart wasn't a dead giveaway.

 

"You're not defective," Jasper mumbled, displeased by the comment. Ever since her stunt with corruption, the word 'defective' had a sour taste to it. She ran a hand through Pearl's soft hair and smiled gently down at her.

 

"You're perfect, Pearl."

 

Pearl knew better; knew that her oblong Gem and radical ideas and loud voice were all signs of defects back on Homeworld. She didn’t know if times had changed, if perhaps other pearls made in that awful place had more leeway now, if Nacre were allowed more freedom in her creations. But it was nice to hear that Jasper no longer thought of her that way, didn’t see her strangeness as unbecoming or off-putting. She met her smile dazzlingly, pressing a kiss to the much bigger Gem’s sternum. 

 

“Coming from you, I’ll have to take that as true,” she said wryly, “Ms. Perfect Quartz.”

 

Jasper grunted, letting her hand trail lower, down Pearl's neck, between her shoulders, along her back. It was quiet in the house. Usually Amethyst and Steven were around making noise, sometimes with Connie or even Peridot (Lapis, very thankfully, didn't visit the beach anymore). And Jasper usually enjoyed their company, especially when Amethyst would put on music she liked or Steven would invite her to play a game. She could get used to quiet afternoons with Pearl, though. Or mornings. Or nights. Just, more time with Pearl sounded lovely.

 

"Kiss me again," she said.

 

“Here?” Pearl asked coyly, pressing soft lips to her sternum, but rather than pull back, she peppered soft kisses up toward her neck. There was no way to reach without rearranging herself, and in a fit of daring, Pearl slung one leg over Jasper’s ribs, rearranging herself to sit somewhat precariously on top of her. The alabaster Gem smiled, leaning down to press a kiss to the corner of Jasper’s lips instead, cupping her face in eager hands. “Or here?”

 

Jasper groaned, albeit very happily. It was a little different to be on the receiving end of Pearl's teasing, but no less entertaining than making her blush.

 

"Everywhere," she said, a fierce smirk spread across her lips and her eyes locking with Pearl's.

 

“There’s an awful lot of you for that,” Pearl managed, nuzzling her cheek affectionately.  _ Everywhere _ produced several mental images Pearl wasn’t sure she was ready for in practice, but all of which were absolutely delectable to think on. She crept closer, pressing her lips to the shell of Jasper’s ear. “I’m sure we’ll get there eventually, though.”

 

"You're right. I do have an unfair tactical advantage when it comes to that," Jasper replied. As usual, her brain ran in plans and comparisons.

 

You could take the soldier out of Homeworld, but you couldn't take the strategical mindset out of the soldier.

 

"Although," she said, in an instance of combining strategy with humor, "those legs of yours do go on for days. It would take me a long time to cover the entire surface of them."

 

“Is that something you would like?” Pearl asked, genuinely surprised, and not unhappily so. She drew back a little to peer down into Jasper’s brilliant gold eyes, pushing her fringe away from her face. Blue dusted her cheeks, and she settled on top of Jasper’s chest, regarding her with curiosity.

 

"Of course," she replied easily, running her hand up Pearl's back, making sure she wouldn't slip off of her. She seemed to think about her words for once, a very rare occurrence, before adding,

 

"I, uh, have admired your legs before. They are… quite amazing."

 

Pearl didn’t know what to say to that, to the careful way Jasper phrased her answer. If pressed, she might have described her legs as willowy, but Pearl didn’t consider herself very talented when it came to wordplay. But she smiled, leaning down to press a soft kiss to Jasper’s cheek. “I’m glad you think so,” she said, “I’m just surprised that you would want to give them that much attention."

 

Jasper slid her hand downward, purposefully skipping over Pearl's rear end and skirting her fingers instead over her calf.

 

"Very much so," she admitted, voice a little low as the tips of her fingers felt the soft fabric of Pearl's socks.

 

"Would you like that?"

 

“I just want you,” slipped from Pearl’s lips without thought or pause, and she flushed brilliantly.  _ That _ was definitely too forward, too soon, too honest--

 

But was honesty so inappropriate if they were going to pursue this?

 

“I—ah—that is…” she stumbled over her words, trying vainly to backpedal, and she settled for tucking her burning face into Jasper’s shoulder to hide her embarrassment. “I… like you said, it doesn’t… necessarily have to be about sex. That’s not all I like about you.”

 

"Mmm," Jasper smiled as she felt Pearl press her face against her once more. She couldn't help the jolt of arousal that passed through her at the sound of Pearl's voice and her candid confession. In another context, those three words would surely mean the end her. 

 

"Of course not," she agreed. "But you know, it's… nice to be able to talk about it. You lived on Homeworld. Years ago, but you must remember how it is. You have to tiptoe around things like that. Here we can just… be honest about it."

 

That much was certainly true. Pearl wasn’t surprised to hear that Homeworld hadn’t changed on that front, that the Judge and Commander likely still banned intimacy and thought it was frivolous. Pearl sighed. “It would be absolutely forbidden for a pearl like me to even suggest it,” she admitted, “I always thought it was… I mean, other Gems just assumed. And you couldn’t say ‘no’ for yourself. But it wasn’t… fair, not being able to  _ ask _ . Very few things were fair or just on Homeworld, for lots of Gems, but…” Pearl trailed off, then sighed into Jasper’s neck. “It’s not like I—or other pearls!—don’t think about those things, obviously. I don’t know how much of my wanting is fair to you, though."

 

"Pearl, it's more than fair. I  _ like _ that you speak up for yourself, and fight for what you believe in, and I definitely like that you have these feelings for me. Hell, I'd love to hear more about it. Any time you want to share." 

 

With how close Pearl was, she was sure she could feel the beating in her heart. She could feel Pearl's, small but strong, just like the Gem herself. 

 

"You know, it's, it's hard for me to talk about how I feel. Quartz soldiers aren't supposed to be like that. They aren't supposed to have feelings. I never… got 'intimate' with other Gems." Jasper's eyes drifted off, embarrassed to be talking about this out loud. "But you Crystal Gems talk about everything you feel, all the time."

 

“Rumor has it I’m not the only one who sings about them these days, either,” Pearl teased, hugging her broad shoulders tightly. She knew that quartzes struggled with sharing their emotions, knew that the Diamond Authority starved their finest warriors even back on Homeworld of affection, bonds she also knew that were incredibly important for those Gems to have. 

 

“Would I be your first, then?” Pearl sounded surprised, and in a way, she was. “I would have expected Gems to be falling at your feet.”

 

Jasper tried not to squirm. Thinking about having Pearl--and this wasn't the first time she'd done so--while Pearl was lying on top of her was making the heat start to rise back up to her cheeks and she hoped it didn't show. Plus Pearl had apparently heard her  _ singing _ too! She'd thought no one had been around...

 

Jasper considered her experience. Which was minimal at best. She'd done a little groping and grinding in a slightly altered state at least 1500 years ago in some dark corner. Not very romantic. She didn't want to sound like she was completely inept! She knew how it worked. Sort of. She knew what she  _ wanted _ to do, at the very least. She didn't plan on verbalizing all of that quite yet. She was more of a Gem of action, after all.

 

"Well, sure, I did," she said truthfully. "Lots of Gems made their hints. And it's not like I didn't like the attention. But I was more concerned with the praise of my superiors; they would not have liked me sneaking off for any sort of. For that."

 

Pearl watched, absently threading long fingers through Jasper’s wild hair. For all that she hadn’t been allowed to express herself normally under Yellow Diamond’s boot, Jasper was incredibly expressive. Pearl idly thought that if given the chance, she might be completely mesmerized just by the vivid gold of her eyes, the way she looked just barely askance. 

 

Stars, but she had it bad. 

 

“Well, at least they had good taste,” Pearl murmured fondly, “Even if your superiors were straight-laced.”

 

Pearl paused, leaning in for a soft kiss, long and lingering. When she drew back, she was smiling. “I’m happy you’re stuck with me, though.”

 

Jasper smiled, slightly dazed from the kiss and all too eager to accept any more that Pearl would give her in the future.

 

"Yeah. Me too."

 

She thought briefly of Pearl's possible experience in that realm but didn't want to ask or even particularly want to know. There was something she was curious about though...

 

"This would be considered a great honor back Home, you know. So much close contact with me. And we could get in a whoooole lot of trouble. You ever think about that?"

 

“I think you’d have the status for it, even if you aren’t from the White court,” Pearl said thoughtfully, “I certainly couldn’t object. By the time I was transferred, though, I think  _ you _ would have had trouble getting near  _ me _ .” The alabaster Gem’s smile was wistful more than anything, if a little sad, but she shook her head and kissed Jasper on the cheek, at the base of her stripe. “My status over the years has been so… so  _ jumbled _ . I’m not sure what any of them would think of this.” She paused, then leaned up to drop a light peck on the tip of Jasper’s Gem. “But I still think it’s an honor."

 

"I didn't mean to make you think of all that," she said. She didn't know much about Pearl's past, but she knew it was difficult for her to relive. She'd fought a war to get away from Home, but that didn't mean that place was entirely without its good memories; Jasper of all Gems could understand.

 

"I was trying to take a more lighthearted approach. Maybe I was fishing to see if you'd give me some praise. Guess I should have flexed my muscles or something."

 

And with that, she lifted her other arm and emphasized her bicep.

 

“I’ve got a bad habit of thinking too much if I let myself relax,” Pearl admitted somewhat ruefully, but she smiled and ran a hand over Jasper’s arm. “It’s hard, though, isn’t it? I don’t want to—to make you feel like I only want you because you’re breathtakingly attractive. It’s more complicated than that. I think that’s probably true for both of us.”

 

"Hm. You're right. I didn't want you to think I only wanted you because you were a pearl, or because you're attractive, even though you are both of those things. And you shouldn't only like me because of my strength. But that doesn't mean you can't like that about me."

 

She appreciated the feeling of Pearl's palm gliding over her muscles.

 

"You know, I like being a big, strong quartz."

 

Despite herself, Pearl couldn’t help giggling a little at that. She knew a good portion of Jasper’s ego was bravado, but it was refreshing. It was an easy lie to believe, that Jasper had been able to embrace that part of herself somewhere along the way, without it turning biter on her tongue. 

 

“You’re definitely that,” she conceded, “And it  _ would _ be a lie if I tried to say I wasn’t… especially attracted to that about you. I was sure I’d give myself away when we sparred.”

 

"You didn't," she said at first. Then, after a quick second, "Though, I was always more focused on fighting than trying to analyze any sort of romantic attraction. I go into battle looking good to intimidate, not to find partners for later."

 

Jasper tried to recall Pearl giving herself away, but the smaller Gem was such a talented fighter that nothing jumped to the forefront of her mind except her skill in the arena. Although, there was one thing that might have had something to do with it.

 

"I usually have luck if I can get you pinned," she said, wheels turning in her head. An eyebrow lifted curiously. "Is that distracting for you, Pearl?"

 

Color flooded Pearl’s cheeks, and without thinking, she guided Jasper’s arm back toward her, snuggling into her ample chest while she tried not to let embarrassment cloud her thinking.

 

Being pinned was something Pearl was acutely aware that she enjoyed too much; it wasn’t even something totally limited to Jasper. She liked the feeling of being surrounded, she liked being trapped under someone she could trust to let go if she panicked. In a real battle, none of that was a possibility, but sparring…

 

“Very,” she managed, voice small. “It’s, er… I like it. Being caught. Or chased. Both. Is that strange?”

 

Jasper smiled, holding Pearl close. She'd developed a liking for protecting. She'd noticed it with Steven. Inexplicably, she'd grown to enjoy keeping the little hybrid safe from danger. Now, having Pearl against her like this, she was hit with the sensation again to protect and care for another. It was rewarding in a sense. But she would just as eagerly pin Pearl down and get close to her for an entirely different reason if she liked it.

 

"Not strange at all," she reassured her. "I'll be storing away that information for later. And I don't mean for training in the arena."

 

_ Oh _ . That was a good sign. Pearl truly hadn’t expected Jasper to like the idea. For that matter, Jasper liking the idea shouldn’t go straight to her groin when she was straddling the quartz in question. Her cheeks burned, but she couldn’t help smiling against Jasper’s neck.

 

“I look forward to it.”

 

Pearl looked forward to many things, to more than just talking about what they might do to one another. Even if talking alone was something extraordinary and unlike her past experiences where romance was concerned. 

 

“I know once, you accidentally—well, I  _ assume _ it wasn’t deliberate—nearly broke my pelvis, at the Sky Arena,” she said, closing her eyes. “It hurt like mad, of course, but… I remember being so impressed, after I healed a bit. You probably could have poofed me.”

 

"You say that as if I'm not skilled enough to poof you."

 

She'd brought down much larger and much more shatter-thirsty enemies than a friendly but determined Pearl.

 

"But I did feel bad about that. It's not like I'm  _ trying _ to actually rough you up like that!"

 

She remembered the dirty looks she got from Garnet for that accident. Or at least she assumed they were dirty. It was hard to tell with the fusion always hiding her eyes (as if that somehow disguised what she was). 

 

"I underestimated you the first time especially. You would have easily had my Gem in your hand more times than I'll ever admit to anyone else."

 

“Actually, I’d thought it was deliberate; you held back enough to not poof me. That was what impressed me,” Pearl said fondly, tracing the curve of Jasper’s jaw without looking up at her. “And, of course, that you would use so much force at all, against a pearl. Even with my reputation.” She paused, snuggling a little closer. “I still have some tricks to show you. It’s a good thing we don’t do dissipation matches."

 

"I have enough sense. I like to fight, but I'm not about to have every Crystal Gem left on Earth aiming a weapon at me just after I've allied myself with them. Garnet was eyeing me like a damn Agate the whole time, just waiting for me to slip up so she could take another shot at me."

 

What tricks Pearl could have left intrigued her. But that would be for another time. She was quite liking the new things she was showing her now, like this gentle affection. She let her eyes close.

 

"We couldn't do them. We take too long to reform. It's hard work looking this good."

 

Pearl certainly hadn’t been in any kind of position to realize that, but in retrospect, her best friend had been  _ very _ generous in letting her spar with Jasper at all, given the great differences in their strength. Not that she could  _ technically _ stop Pearl; Garnet didn’t own her, and didn’t want to, and never had, but Pearl would have listened if she were that worried. If  _ Steven _ worried, Pearl would have set aside her swords and never touched them again, no matter how badly she wanted to fight.

 

“I take weeks,” Pearl admitted, somewhat embarrassed. “I  _ can _ reform faster, in an emergency, but last time it was a few weeks.”

 

"It'll be a long time before I want to be anything other than my physical and complete self," Jasper said quite firmly. She had spent more than enough time stuck in her corrupted state. Being free, being whole, was more important to her than fighting hard enough to dissipate.

 

Just a year ago, she would have thought so much differently on that subject.

 

"Well, then you'd better not be reckless against monsters. Besides, I'd miss you terribly," Pearl said gently, pressing soft kisses to Jasper's throat by way of apology this time. 

 

Not that the real threat came from corrupted beasts. Jasper was out of their league, for the most part. But there were other enemies to think of, and Homeworld still to contend with.

 

"I won't let anything happen to you, if I can stop it."

 

Jasper's entire body buzzed with warmth. She was stunned.

 

Had anyone ever cared about losing her? Truly losing her, that is. Not losing her strength or her skills. Not losing her as an asset to a war or a mission. But losing  _ her _ because they enjoyed her company and wanted to be around her?

 

She was indebted to Steven for healing her. And she was beyond grateful for Pearl giving her this.

 

Suddenly she felt choked, and her eyes stung strangely.

 

It was strange not to hear a response from the quartz; Pearl had expected some quip about being stronger than that, about her great strength, but not silence. She pushed herself up on Jasper's shoulders, brows creased with worry.

 

Jasper's eyes were damp.

 

"I--I wasn't trying to upset you," Pearl said hastily. She cupped Jasper's face in her hands, half expecting to be shaken off. "I just don't want anything to happen... it's not that I think you can't handle yourself."

 

Jasper's lip quivered and she suddenly realized she was crying. Oh hell, that wasn't supposed to happen! Had Pearl not been on top of her she would have run off to take care of this alone, to hurriedly wipe them away. But with the smaller Gem's hands holding her cheeks, she realized she didn't want to run. Pearl looked worried, apologetic, as if this had been her fault. Well, it had, but not in a bad way!

 

"No," she managed to say, her voice cracking slightly against her wishes. "No, no, it's not--I can handle myself, I mean. But the fact that you care. That's--Thank you, Pearl."

 

“Of course I care,” was easy to say; didn’t require a second of consideration. Pearl gently wiped at Jasper’s tears with her thumbs, caressing her cheek with infinite tenderness. “Jasper, I—you matter, not just to me, but to the others too. I cared before I liked you.”

 

Even if grudging respect for a veteran from the other side had quickly turned to liking her. Jasper was infuriating in all the usual ways that quartzes often were, but she was unexpectedly wise. It hadn’t taken long at all for Pearl to notice that she  _ liked _ Jasper, even when they argued, even when Jasper was deliberately difficult simply to be difficult.

 

Pearl pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. “You’re important to me just as you are. And that includes your happiness and your safety.”

 

Jasper lifted a hand and used the back of it to scrub one of her eyes. She could have gone without the water works, but Pearl wasn't making fun of her for it. She was wiping them away with adoration and giving her a kind of praise she'd never experienced before. 

 

No wonder these Crystal Gems were crying all the time. It felt too good to hold in.

 

"I feel the same way. About you, and all the others."

 

“You’re going to end up wearing a star one day, feeling like that,” Pearl teased gently, brushing her fingers through Jasper’s bangs. “But I’m glad. I would be terribly jealous if you only adopted Amethyst.”

 

"Well, we can't have that, can we?"

 

Jasper chuckled, feeling a little less tense than she had moments ago.

 

"Where should I put it? On my chest just like you?"

 

She poked Pearl's little star playfully.

 

“If you put a star-shaped window over your chest, Jasper, I will  _ never _ accomplish  _ anything _ ever again,” Pearl said, giggling a little.

 

"Oh? Now that's something to consider."

 

Jasper moved a hand down to her breast, weighing it in her hand just to get a reaction from Pearl.

 

"My uniform is already pretty low-cut, Pearl."

 

“I don’t know how they don’t spill out,” Pearl tried to tease, but her face had flooded with color again, and her eyes were wide as saucers. That was something she thought about too frequently--with other Gems, other soldiers, there was far less risk involved. But Jasper was bustier than most Gems to begin with, and Pearl could swear that her uniform was cut lower than it was supposed to be.

 

"Maybe one of these days they will," Jasper teased back. She tugged at the hem of her v neck, pulling it away with deliberate and extreme slowness and practically daring Pearl to squawk at her.

 

“Stars, you’re incorrigible!” Pearl protested, but she wasn’t very committed to objecting. Still, as much as she wanted to appreciate Jasper’s form, embarrassment won out, and she hid her face in her hands, sitting upright. “I’ll never understand how quartzes think!”

 

"What, you don't want to see?" Jasper asked with a laugh, knowing that Pearl was likely only covering her eyes because she was shy and not because she wasn't interested. She decided to show her some mercy, moving both of her hands to Pearl's hips instead of exposing herself.

 

"I think most of us think with our fists, and the other half think with their--well, with whatever they've got between their legs."

 

That almost went without saying, which was the entire problem. Pearl had spent most of her life in the company of quartzes, but they were still baffling with how they handled intimacy and modesty. “Of course I want to,” Pearl said, and once Jasper’s hands were safely settled on her hips, she peeked out between her fingers. “But it’s… Obviously, they’re… yours to show off, but just… It’s a little different for  _ me _ , getting to see them.”

 

"I like being looked at," she said boldly, and it was true. She had always enjoyed getting stared at, had liked wearing expensive appearance modifiers like her cape to draw attention and remind everyone she was important.

 

"But what's underneath is all for you to enjoy," she purred, "whenever you're ready for it."

 

Her thumb rubbed a circle against Pearl's hip. If she wasn't careful, she'd start daydreaming about Pearl getting to strip away her uniform piece by piece, and that wasn't conducive to getting her heart rate to relax enough to drift off to sleep. Not that either of them seemed to be in a rush to do so.

 

"I do have enough sense not to start taking my uniform off out here where anyone could walk in, you know."

 

It was easy to forget that they were in a very public place, especially when Steven wasn’t home. Pearl wondered briefly whether Garnet had foreseen this scenario, if that was why Amethyst hadn’t yet come crashing through the door to demand one of their attention. 

 

That Jasper was already thinking of sharing herself with her made Pearl’s blush return in full force, and her voice knotted in her throat. Pearl wasn’t sure that she deserved that honor, of being Jasper’s first, and then felt terribly guilty for wishing that she could offer her the same. 

 

Pearl opted not to answer, if only because she didn’t trust her voice, and instead she tugged one of Jasper’s hands away from her hip and somewhat daringly pressed the big quartz’s palm to her chest. “You too,” Pearl managed, “I… I’d like that."

 

Jasper was surprised to feel Pearl yanking her hand away, thinking initially in that brief moment that she had done something wrong or unwanted. It was replaced with even more shock when her hand connected with Pearl's warm chest. She blinked, glancing from the smaller hand wrapped firmly around her wrist to the big blue eyes looking at her. 

 

"If you're this beautiful now… oh, I can't even imagine,” Jasper rasped.

 

Overwhelmed with a need to kiss her, she lifted herself up to capture Pearl's lips with her own.

 

Pearl was eager to kiss her again, in part because kissing absolved her from the silly, lovesick thoughts that she might have babbled without thinking them through. Pearl didn’t have much confidence in her looks, despite being pretty by design; she was slim and dainty, but her sisters were prettier than she could be if she tried, and they didn’t  _ have _ to try at it. 

 

But Jasper thought she was beautiful. Somewhat unkempt from sleeping on the couch, dressed in a uniform that defied Homeworld’s standards for what pearls should wear, with the mark of the rebellion in the middle of her chest.

 

Pearl’s free hand tangled in Jasper’s hair at the back of her neck, and she kissed her soundly.

 

Jasper leaned back slowly, trying not to part from Pearl's lips but also wanting to lie down, and she was mostly successful. No part of her  _ wanted _ to stop kissing Pearl, but she couldn't deny that she was ready to rest.

 

She felt cathartic, in a way. It was as if she'd been holding back those emotions for too long and now with them out in the open there was so much less to worry about. She didn't have to wonder if Pearl would ever return her affection. She didn't have to worry that Pearl wouldn't want to stay. 

 

Earth was starting to feel like home in a way Home never had.

 

For all that Pearl was incredibly flexible for her kind, she didn’t think she would quite maintain her current position of straddling Jasper’s ribcage while kissing her. She drew back with a whimper, because no matter how stale the air in her lungs had grown, Jasper’s lips against hers could never become uninteresting. 

 

“Hold that thought…” Pearl murmured, carefully rearranging herself. She tried not to pull at Jasper’s hair as she righted herself, climbing back to settle between the couch and Jasper’s side and sinking into her all over again.

 

“Much better,” she decided, even if tucked against her side wasn’t quite conducive to kissing. “You said you’d come in for a nap--were you still planning on that?”

 

Jasper smiled and gave a short nod.

 

"Just for awhile. I'm worn out," she said. And to save at least a little of her dignity-- because crying had definitely not made her want to close her eyes and sleep-- she added, "I did a pretty hard work out before I warped in, you know."

 

Jasper yawned and tucked a hand against Pearl's back to hold her as she relaxed.

 

Pearl hummed thoughtfully at that. She wasn’t sure she believed it; Jasper’s idea of a hard work out was usually something where she came back sweaty and disheveled and needed to bathe, and she didn’t seem physically exhausted. Still, there was no reason to call her on her lie, not when Pearl was perfectly amenable to sleeping together like this. 

 

“Oh! The blanket,” she said, reluctantly withdrawing yet again, this time to drape the blanket over the both of them. Habit more than anything had her tucking the edges around her companion, before she settled back down at her side, pressing her face to Jasper’s chest, over her heart. “There we go.”

 

"Thanks," Jasper murmured lazily.

 

She didn't technically need a blanket to fall asleep. The sunlight coming through the windows was more effective at actually getting her to doze off, but being tucked under the fluffy thing was soothing. As was Pearl pressing her cheek to her chest which gently rose and fell with each breath. She let her eyes close without fear.


End file.
